Thank you for your informative video. I have wanted to add a wildlife pond to my garden for a long time and have decided that this is the year to bite the bullet and get it done. I’m gathering as much information as possible as the amount of work is a bit daunting and I want to do it right first time. I have subscribed and will work my way through your other vids.
With our clay based pond we ended up with a massive amount of algae when the sun arrived in early spring after it was dug out in October. I initially went in and fished it all out, a bit more came back and again I got in and took it out. But in the last 6 weeks it seems to have visably stopped without doing anything. Recently I noticed a lot of mosquitos trying to lay their eggs in the pond and it got me looking within the water, to which i saw tonnes of creatures and not mosquito larvae swimming around. After a search in a book I think these are water fleas and they have been helping by eating the algae while I consider what I am meant to be planting! Nature is great and it hadn't even crossed my mind that the algae was actually helpful in some way, it certainly gets painted that way and of course in a large amount isn't good. Now those water fleas contributing to the ecosystem will also become food for the next thing that comes along I expect.
I can hardly believe that I need to apologise to you again! Because..... in the other 2 parts of the pond videos I touch on all of this sort of "stuff". Part 1 is really the physical/construction type of considerations but the other 2 parts are more about habitat creation, planting and ecology. I have not finished them yet but they really need releasing. I will do it when I can & the points that you make are essential & you have correctily identified that. (The Daphnia, protozoans, single celled cretures etc are hugely important at the start of many food chains/webs but are often overlooked). Best wishes, Chris
Hi Chris, hope you're well. I've found your channel very recently due to your hedge planting video which popped up in our feed and I found it very interesting and informative. After watching this latest video I thought I'd say hello as we're in the process of constructing a wildlife pond in a patch of woodland in North Wales and are documenting the process on our own channel. We're hopeful that this new habitat will dramatically increase the biodiversity in what is currently a fairly sterile beech PAWS woodland that's about 70 years old. We're essentially opting for the second design of pond you describe with a buried liner that's going to be topped with a subsoil and stone wall combination. We haven't got your years of experience behind us but we're learning all the time and hope our efforts will be appreciated by the local wildlife over the coming years. Feel free to check out our build so far, although to date the 3 episodes have focused on the site prep but the next in the series will be the pond dig. Thanks for your efforts in promoting the message that urgent action is required now if we are to protect and enhance the wildlife in this country. We'll be sure to check in on your future videos as I'm sure they'll be plenty we can learn from them. All the best, Matt
Thanks Matt. It is great to hear what you are doing & I will be sure to have a look at your videos. As regards my experience I am always still learning and will never stop. I hope that I can pass on some of the things which I have learnt but I do not regard myself as a "fount of all knowledge"....I can still make my share of mistakes!!!!! The next pond videos will be, I believe, a bit more intersting because that first was really a "nuts & bolts" introduction - the others will include a bit more ecology. Best wishes, Chris
Hi chris, your timing on this is impeccable!! I am just in the process of doing my pond. My first attempt by the way. Will be happy to send photos, for your approval, of course!!
Hi Dean & thanks for the message. Great that you are about to construct your pond & do please keep me in touch. Some pictures would be excellent. (My email is llangarronwildlife@gmail.com). The next video may well also be useful to you & I will get it out as soon as I can. Best wishes, Chris
When you think your hole is big enough , keep digging because you will always want a bigger pond once it's established but ya can't go back and dig more out once it's filled
@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw I had to have an argument with the coyncil over the definition of "small wildlife pond" I eventually got away with 5m x 3m x 1m( at the deepest )on my allotment when they were thinking bath tub size with a grate over the top . Push the boundaries of what's possible with the space you have available you certainly won't regret it
Thank you for your informative video. I have wanted to add a wildlife pond to my garden for a long time and have decided that this is the year to bite the bullet and get it done. I’m gathering as much information as possible as the amount of work is a bit daunting and I want to do it right first time. I have subscribed and will work my way through your other vids.
With our clay based pond we ended up with a massive amount of algae when the sun arrived in early spring after it was dug out in October.
I initially went in and fished it all out, a bit more came back and again I got in and took it out. But in the last 6 weeks it seems to have visably stopped without doing anything. Recently I noticed a lot of mosquitos trying to lay their eggs in the pond and it got me looking within the water, to which i saw tonnes of creatures and not mosquito larvae swimming around. After a search in a book I think these are water fleas and they have been helping by eating the algae while I consider what I am meant to be planting!
Nature is great and it hadn't even crossed my mind that the algae was actually helpful in some way, it certainly gets painted that way and of course in a large amount isn't good. Now those water fleas contributing to the ecosystem will also become food for the next thing that comes along I expect.
I can hardly believe that I need to apologise to you again! Because..... in the other 2 parts of the pond videos I touch on all of this sort of "stuff". Part 1 is really the physical/construction type of considerations but the other 2 parts are more about habitat creation, planting and ecology. I have not finished them yet but they really need releasing. I will do it when I can & the points that you make are essential & you have correctily identified that. (The Daphnia, protozoans, single celled cretures etc are hugely important at the start of many food chains/webs but are often overlooked).
Best wishes,
Chris
Hi Chris, hope you're well. I've found your channel very recently due to your hedge planting video which popped up in our feed and I found it very interesting and informative. After watching this latest video I thought I'd say hello as we're in the process of constructing a wildlife pond in a patch of woodland in North Wales and are documenting the process on our own channel. We're hopeful that this new habitat will dramatically increase the biodiversity in what is currently a fairly sterile beech PAWS woodland that's about 70 years old.
We're essentially opting for the second design of pond you describe with a buried liner that's going to be topped with a subsoil and stone wall combination. We haven't got your years of experience behind us but we're learning all the time and hope our efforts will be appreciated by the local wildlife over the coming years. Feel free to check out our build so far, although to date the 3 episodes have focused on the site prep but the next in the series will be the pond dig.
Thanks for your efforts in promoting the message that urgent action is required now if we are to protect and enhance the wildlife in this country. We'll be sure to check in on your future videos as I'm sure they'll be plenty we can learn from them.
All the best, Matt
Thanks Matt. It is great to hear what you are doing & I will be sure to have a look at your videos.
As regards my experience I am always still learning and will never stop. I hope that I can pass on some of the things which I have learnt but I do not regard myself as a "fount of all knowledge"....I can still make my share of mistakes!!!!!
The next pond videos will be, I believe, a bit more intersting because that first was really a "nuts & bolts" introduction - the others will include a bit more ecology.
Best wishes,
Chris
Hi chris, your timing on this is impeccable!! I am just in the process of doing my pond. My first attempt by the way. Will be happy to send photos, for your approval, of course!!
Hi Dean & thanks for the message. Great that you are about to construct your pond & do please keep me in touch. Some pictures would be excellent. (My email is llangarronwildlife@gmail.com).
The next video may well also be useful to you & I will get it out as soon as I can.
Best wishes,
Chris
When you think your hole is big enough , keep digging because you will always want a bigger pond once it's established but ya can't go back and dig more out once it's filled
Hi Jimmy. Thanks for the comment & yes this is sound advice. Best wishes,
Chris
@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw I had to have an argument with the coyncil over the definition of "small wildlife pond" I eventually got away with 5m x 3m x 1m( at the deepest )on my allotment when they were thinking bath tub size with a grate over the top . Push the boundaries of what's possible with the space you have available you certainly won't regret it
Hi Jimmy - that is a good sized pond. Well done! Chris@@jimmyfaulkner5746
@Ni-dk7ni bad idea. You have to relandscape your whole garden . Just dig a bigger hole to start with
Bet that will look lovely good luck god bless